lexicography
New online dictionary available — free
Tweet Collins has published a new dictionary which has several useful features. I believe it is still in beta form. It impressed the heck out of me. 1. Definitions, of course, and the phonetic representation of the word. 2. A comprehensive list of synonyms and of related terms and related words. For the word “beat,” for […]
Language in the classroom — it’s not quite that simple
Tweet Quote from La Canada Valley Sun story about sexual and racial harassment of students by a teacher: “Spurred by complaints that the La Cañada High math teacher regularly used racist and sexist language in her classroom, officials presented a modified draft of the district’s code of ethics during a public meeting Monday.” Think about this a minute. What […]
Lexicography exercise
Tweet We often think of dictionaries as definitive in their definitions, without questioning their authority, yet there are many different kinds of dictionaries, and students should be encouraged to use them with discretion and sophistication. An example: Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 5th ed. (WNCD) aims its definitions at the “college student and general reader,” while […]